10 b2b to internet marketing strategies

7/29/2019 10 B2B to Internet Marketing Strategies

1/4

B2B Strategies

Educate Your ProspectsIf you can help your prospect feel like an expert, claim authors Margaret Mark and Carol S. Pearson, they are more like-

ly to buy than if they feel confused. Mark and Pearson's book, The Hero and the Outlaw: Harnessing the Power of

Archetypes to Create a Winning Brand, discusses how successful brands correspond to fundamental patterns in the

unconscious mind known as archetypes. Many business prospects fit the role of an archetype that uses intelligence

and analysis to understand the world.

A strategy based on fear, uncertainty and doubt is at odds with what motivates this prospect. Instead, Mark and

Pearson suggest never talking down to clients or using a hard sell. Business professionals want to feel smart, compe-

tent and in charge of the transaction. They like to collect all the data to make informed decisions, and enjoy complicat-

ed products (like PCs) that demand a learning curve and are difficult to master. And if the prospect feels like they are

being pushed, they are likely to walk away, because they view a purchase as a rational decision based on information.

One of the most precious commodities for the business professional is their time. So embrace time-saving technologies

like email or web meetings (instead of trying to set up golf outings).

Persona -CRM

Educate Your Prospects

Create a New Framework

Create Opportunities to Communicate

Speak Their Language

Email Training Series

Product Discussion List

Additional Information by Email

Web Meetings & Presentations

Teach the Gatekeeper, Too!

Sequenced Communications

Personas Top 10 Internet Marketing Series

Top 10 B2B Internet Marketing Strategies

123456789

10

1


2/4

Create a New FrameworkGood marketing doesn't merely attempt to influence what people think about a particular company's product or service

- good marketing instead focuses on creating a favorable framework through which people can evaluate your product or

service. The traditional approach to selling a product or service is to focus on the particular features and benefits of the

solution, and why it is better/faster/cheaper than the competition. Instead, create a new framework for business profes-

sionals to apply their specific industry experience, customer feedback and financial analysis to your solution. Rather

than focus on price, your conceptual framework allows prospective clients to better understand the forces that shape

their business and how your solution is an integral part of their success.

Create Opportunities to CommunicateBut how do you both educate your prospects and envelop them in a framework that places your business in a favorable

light? The answer is to balance persistence against communication overload. When you first meet a potential cus-

tomer, you typically ask for a business card and try to learn more about their company. Implied in the exchange of busi-

ness cards is the opportunity to follow-up with more information.

But once you have sent more information, and politely asked if they have further questions, how do you stay top-of-

mind without coming across as nagging? Create reasons to communicate high-value ideas and information to your

business prospects, and balance persistence against overload. Create industry-specific email distribution lists and for-

ward relevant articles and upcoming events to both your clients and sales prospects. Forward the latest whitepaper or

research study that may help them do their job more effectively. Reinforce through this communication that part of the

'value-add' of purchasing from your company is the added attention you will bring to the relationship.

Speak Their Language

When it comes to communicating to prospects that have different functional positions, a one-size-fits-all approach

won't work. The CFO of a company will often focus on price, capital expenditures and measurable return on investment

(ROI). If you are a company that offers an outsourced product, for example, your email message to the CFO should

explain how your solution avoids hefty up-front costs and has a built-in system for measuring the effectiveness of

marketing expenditures.

3

4

Persona -CRM

B2B Strategies



2


3/4

To the CTO, however, the pressing issue may be how the product may abscond scarce IT resources, or how well the

product integrates with the company's existing technology. And the Chief Marketing Officer may have altogether differ-

ent issues - concerns with getting timely reporting from the IT staff on the effectiveness of the last marketing campaign

may be top of mind. Begin by creating a laundry list of bullet points that examine your product or service from the

viewpoint of each of your constituents. Then personalize your email communications, segmented by job function. Make

sure you also give the marketer the financial and technical ammunition necessary to convince their respective

counterparts.

Email Training SeriesOne of the best ways to educate your prospects and stay top-of mind is with an email-based training series. Allow the

experts within your company the opportunity to help prospects and customers learn more about your industry. When

prospects sign up, they receive a series of email messages at a regular interval. Inside the email is a mini-summary of

the individual topic and a short case study that examines the practical application of your solution. A quiz after each

lesson can provide immediate feedback on what they've learned.

Product Discussion ListAn effective way to get feedback on your product or service is to engage your customers in the product development

process by using an email discussion list. Allow your engineers, designers and customer service representatives to inter-

act with your customers in a discussion forum. After all, your customers are the ones who are using your solution to

accomplish their business goals and have a vested effort in shaping the future of your offering. A moderated list allows

control over what information is posted and who is able to send to the list.

Additional Information by EmailGive your prospects a way to receive additional information from your company. Give prospects access to a password-

protected area of your website where they can select what documents they would like to receive via email. An email-

based approach can work better than simply giving prospects access to an online directory of files, because many pro-

fessionals use their email inbox (and subfolders) to organize their content. Instead of relying on prospects to open a

document from your website only to print it and forget it, email is a way to reach out to prospect's inbox and deliver

the information directly to them. Plus, you've just created an additional reason to contact them with a personalized

message.

5

6

7

Persona -CRM

B2B Strategies




4/4

Web Meetings & PresentationsWhile face-to-face meetings are indeed essential, PowerPoint presentations and informational meetings often take place

in a dark room. A web meeting usually consists of an audio conference call and a PowerPoint presentation that the

recipient views by going to a special website and signing in with a username and password. Use web meetings to

communicate product-specific information or to better prospect different customers. Plane tickets are expensive, and

waiting in line at the airport behind other weary travelers only to find out that the flight is delayed does little to pro-

mote productivity. Web meetings are especially cost effective if the potential client is in a geographically remote loca-

tion where few other potential sales prospects exist.

Teach the Gatekeeper, Too!Many hard-to-reach business prospects have excellent administrative assistants that don't always see the value of your

offering. One way to break through to these 'gatekeepers' is to demonstrate how one facet of your product or service

can help them do their job better. Because gatekeepers are frequently interrupted, avoid using scheduled web semi-

nars. Instead, use an email training series delivered right to their email inbox. Offer, for example, an email-based tuto-

rial that demonstrates how to better use email filters to prioritize incoming messages.

Sequenced CommunicationsAccording to author Seth Godin, permission marketing is like dating: "It turns strangers into friends and friends into life-

time customers." Treat your sales process as a series of interactions that will grow into a long-term, profitable customer

relationship. Develop a series of sequenced communications, designed to inform, educate and convert prospects into

paying customers. If a prospect downloads a whitepaper, for example, have your system automatically send a personal-

ized email message a couple of days later, asking if they have any additional questions or need further information.

9

8B2B Strategies



10

About Persona, Inc. Persona's p-CRM system provides a plug and play Internet marketing solution that allows you to collect

data from your web site visitors, analyze the data for insightful business intelligence, and then market to your visitors with per-

sonalized email communications. Based on the latest Internet privacy regulations and industry best practices, the p-CRM system

engages your customers in managing the data they have provided you, which allows you to build stronger customer relationships

and market with more accurate data. For more information, please contact [email protected], or call 303.410.4600.

Persona -CRM

10 b2b to internet marketing strategies

Documents